A Stray Child
by Hyatt is Dead
Summary: Cloud returns to the Hollow Bastion. While Aerith, Cid, and Yuffie welcome him, Leon remains a bit distrustful. (YAOI in later chapters, LeonxCloud. Please don't read if you don't know what yaoi means.)
1. If You Are Lost In Your Way

Title: A Stray Child  
Rating: R  
Pairings: Yuffie-Leon, AerithxCloud, eventually LeonxCloud  
A/N: If anyone's curious, I got the title for this story from the .hack//sign song "A Stray Child." Yay.  
I want to warn yaoi fans, this story is going to lean towards het (gasp!) for a few chapters. So just bear with and I'll make it up to you in the end. XD Besides, really now, Leon/Yuffie isn't THAT bad is it?   
Also, I just thought I'd say, just so everyone knows, every other chapter of this story will be a flashback, starting with before Ansem went all kooky, to Cloud and Sephiroth's fight in 'Showdown of Fate.'  
And lastly, Kingdom Hearts doesn't belong to me. Blah blah blah. Neither does the song 'A Stray Child.' Yadda yadda yadda. Really now. If I OWNED Kingdom Hearts, do you think I would waste my time WRITING about Leon/Cloud yaoi luvvin'?!  
  
Chapter 1 - If You Are Lost In Your Way  
  
--------------------------------  
  
Beautiful.  
  
Cloud had always found the rising falls beautiful, even when he was a small child. He remembered sitting on the little ice ledges just outside the Hollow Bastion, spending hours watching them. He'd often found himself falling asleep, lulled into peaceful slumber by the gentle roaring of the falls.  
  
Most of the other residents of his homeland scorned him for this, thinking it weird for a child to spend all his time just admiring the scenery.  
  
But that didn't really matter to Cloud. He'd always been the outcast, always the odd man out.  
  
To everyone. Everyone, except her.  
  
Yes, her. Always the first to come to his defense, always the one to smile at him when the others would scowl. Aerith…  
  
Cloud felt another hiss of pain in his side, remembering that despite the nostalgia of it all, this definitely was not the best time to be reminiscing.  
  
He looked ahead. He had a long ways to go. And with this wound, it wouldn't be easy. He looked down at the gash Sephiroth had made, deep in his side. Already his shirt was soaked in blood.  
  
Now, now. This shouldn't be so hard. One foot after the other, right? Just move slowly…  
  
He began to walk again.  
  
Cloud knew he was growing weaker. His legs felt like weights, and it took at least two seconds to move either one at a time.  
  
It took him a minute or two, but he managed to make it to the end of the first ledge. He looked up at the next, raised a few feet above the other, and frowned.  
  
… Well, it had to be done. He would've much preferred going through the channels built underneath, but now? He looked down and mentally estimated. At least a twenty foot drop. Such a fall in his condition could kill him. And he had to get there.  
  
He had to get home.  
  
He reared up, and threw himself at the ledge, gripping at the side. His mind seemed to scream with pain, and he let out a howl of agony. It was a wonder he didn't let go.  
  
But he didn't. Instead, he managed to pull himself up, even though it seemed his body would tear itself in two, right at that gash. He felt blood begin to trickle down his leg, heard it dripping on the ice below. He bit his lip, as hard as he possibly could, to distract himself from the pain.  
  
It didn't work as well as it usually did.  
  
Once he'd made it to the next ledge, he tried to get to his feet again.  
  
Big mistake, cape boy.  
  
The second he started to force himself up, the pain in his head intensified, to the point where it felt like twenty little chocobos had just stomped on his skull at once (If such a thing were possible. Give the man a break, he's in pain.)  
  
Cloud collapsed, huddling up into a ball for warmth. No, he'd have to move slower. There was no point in pushing further if he'd keel over dead before he got there. Just rest… just for a few minutes, right?  
  
He felt his vision start to blur as the pain gave way to numbness.  
  
Yeah… just a few minutes.  
  
And then he closed his eyes, and the world faded to black.  
  
------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
"This sucks."  
  
The only words Leon had uttered all day.  
  
He got out of his chair, stretching his aching back in such a manner that it seemed he'd been sitting there a while. He turned, leaning against the desk in his room, looking out the window.  
  
"This really, really sucks."  
  
And it sure as hell did.  
  
It had been a week since they returned to the Hollow Bastion. The place was practically empty now, except for four people. Cid Highwind, Aerith Gainsborough, Yuffie Kisaragi, and himself, Squall Leonhart.  
  
… Yeah. Leon.  
  
Despite Yuffie's none-too-subtle suggestions ("Say, Squall--I mean, uh, Leon… wow, that's still so tough to remember? How do you do it? I can't believe you never slipped with it either. Why don't you just change it back--" "Yuffie?" "Yeah?" "Shut up."), he hadn't changed his name back. Not yet. After all, even if the Hollow Bastion was safe now, he hadn't been able to protect it, all those years ago…  
  
Besides, he hadn't been able to save those who had been lost forever at the hands of HIM.  
  
Ansem. That bastard… Leon's fists clenched when he thought back to the man he once admired and trusted. That they all had trusted. He had been their leader. They'd thought him a wise and noble man.  
  
They'd been wrong.  
  
But perhaps not at first. Before his obsessive study of the Heartless, Ansem had been a good man. One who had been worthy of their respect.  
  
Then the research began… and something changed.  
  
Leon didn't know exactly what happened to Ansem. Only his reports could say for sure, and Sora had taken those with him.  
  
He just didn't know who to blame. Ansem or the Heartless. Maybe both.  
  
Leon sighed, flopping back in his chair.  
  
"Maybe Yuffie's right…" He muttered to himself, slumping a little. "Maybe I do think too much."  
  
He canted his head to the side a little, looking out the window. So boring… save for minor castle upkeep and training, there really wasn't much else to do around here. A sigh passed his lips, as he got out of his chair. He circled the desk, heading towards the door. Well, a walk may do him some good. Better than rotting away in here.  
  
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So how was it? ^_^ Please be kind, alright? This is my first time posting publicly (skerred.). Anyway, the next few chapters should be up soon, so check back. See ya. 


	2. Deep In An Awesome Story

Title: A Stray Child  
Rating: R  
Pairings: Yuffie-Leon, AerithxCloud, eventually LeonxCloud  
A/N: First flashback. ^_^ 'Ay. First of all, to those who have seen Battle Royale, please don't kill me for stealing the occasional Utsuki line. It just fit the scene so well!  
Also, this flashback takes place when Squall and co are around nine or ten.  
Chapter 2 - Deep In An Awesome Story  
  
----------------  
  
"Well?"  
  
"Well what?"  
  
Squall frowned, having a seat next to Yuffie on the ledge. "Well, what did you call me out here for anyway? You said you wanted to talk about something."  
  
Yuffie shrugged, adjusting a little to let her legs dangle over the edge. "Maybe I did."  
  
Squall rolled his eyes, nudging her a little. "Come on! You dragged me all the way out here to tell me something, didn't you? So go on, say it!"  
  
Yuffie giggled in response. "Don't wanna."  
  
"Yuffie!"  
  
Yuffie shook her cute, little head. "I don't think you wanna hear it!"  
  
"Come on!" Squall said irritably. "Out with it already!"  
  
"Hmm… well, oh-kaaaaay…" She said finally, swinging her legs back over the ledge, so she could stand up again. She clasped her hands behind her back, and turned to look at him. "Do you know, Squall?"  
  
"Do I know WHAT?"  
  
"I know everything about you, Squall. Do you know?"  
  
Squall tilted his head to the side, and he leaned back to get a better look at her. What was she trying to say? "Uh, yeah, Yuffie. We've known each other since we were babies, so of course you would. What's the big deal?"  
  
"Do you know what that means?"  
  
He blinked. … Okay, so he didn't. Did he? Yuffie was his best (okay, next to Aerith, his only) friend, practically the sister he never had. But she knew that he knew that, so there wasn't really any point in asking about it, right? So what did she mean by it? "I dunno. What's it mean?"  
  
Yuffie frowned a little. "Wow, Squall. You're slow!"  
  
Squall, being the older and more mature of the two of them, couldn't help but take offense. "What's that supposed to mean?!"  
  
The other just giggled, and turned around, running back towards the Hollow Bastion. "Come on! We need to go meet Aerith, remember?"  
  
"H-hey!" Squall called after her as he swung his legs back over the side, and ran to join his friend. "What did you mean by that? Come on, tell me!"  
  
He asked the same question many times that afternoon, greeted only by Yuffie's laughter. But Squall thought nothing of it at the time. After all, this was really no different than the other childish games they played in their youth…  
  
-----------  
  
… but the games would continue long into their adulthood, and Squall, now Leon, still had to wonder what she meant by those words.  
  
Yeah. He was probably just slow, just as Yuffie herself had said.  
  
And now, as a grown man of twenty five, he walked down the same halls where he'd chased Yuffie that day, when he was just a boy of ten. The nostalgia of this place was overwhelming, indeed. But it HAD been nine years, after all.  
  
He pushed open the heavy door to the outside, the slight evening chill catching him as he stepped into the open.  
  
It was freezing outside at this time of year, but Leon still needed the fresh air. And besides… he just needed to get away from the castle.  
  
He slipped his hands in his pockets, before walking down towards the falls. At the very least, that should have been able to relax him, right?  
  
He grew nearer to the crystal at the end of the walkway, raising a gloved hand to touch the smooth texture. The crystal reacted to the gun blade wielder's touch, and soon Leon could see the platform floating towards the ledge.  
  
Leon stepped on, boots clacking softly on the marble. These platforms had been created by Ansem many years ago, long before his own birth. Despite his hatred of the man, he still couldn't help but be amazed at his genius, when looking at such ingenious pieces of work. He frowned, reaching a hand up to briefly run over the jagged scar on his forehead. That was one thing he was slowly growing to hate about this place, now.  
  
Hollow Bastion may have been his home, but it brought back a lot of painful memories. Of Ansem. Of the Heartless. Of that SCAR…  
  
Leon's reflecting was interrupted by something a short distance away. An agonizing scream rang out, echoed by the falls, catching his attention quickly. He ran to the edge of the platform for a better look, but saw that he was still too far to get a decent look.  
  
It had definitely been a man's voice. And it did sound quite familiar, but Leon couldn't exactly place where it was from. But there was no time to concern himself with that now.  
  
Once the platform got close enough, he leapt off, running and jumping down each ledge with little effort. He'd been doing this since he was a child, so he had gotten used to it, it seemed.  
  
He could make out the victim now, who was huddled up in a little ball on the ledge, wrapped in his own cape. But that was all he could see…  
  
… A bit closer and he could make out a bit more. Blonde hair, black shirt and boots--… oh, it couldn't be…  
  
"Cloud?!" Leon finally got close enough to the injured man, kneeling by his side, rolling him over on his back.  
  
Unconscious. And after catching a glimpse of the wound he'd received, he could see why. Leon was surprised he'd managed that long with brutal injuries. As he started to remove the other's cape, so as to stop the bleeding, he heard the other let out a low groan, and stirring a bit as he started to awaken.  
  
"Nnn…" Cloud cocked an eye open weakly. The image was fuzzy at first, but once his eyes went into focus, he gave a sigh of relief. "Squall."  
  
Leon's eyes narrowed into a scowl, as he abruptly ripped off the tattered cape. "That's Leon."  
  
Cloud couldn't help but wince. Squall--no, Leon had been distrustful of him since they met again at the Coliseum. Of course, he had good reason to be. He had sided with their enemy. Even if he wasn't anymore, it must have been hard for Leon to forgive something like that. "Right." He replied, giving a weak nod of the head. "Leon."  
  
"Your wounds are pretty severe." He said nonchalantly, as he pulled up the other's shirt slightly, to wrap the cape about the other's torso, tying it, ensuring that it was neither too tight, nor too loose. "This should stop the bleeding though. Try to lay still, or you'll just make it worse."  
  
Cloud's head tilted to the side slightly, as he looked out on the castle. "Aerith… okay?" He murmured, as the unconsciousness began to seize him again.  
  
A sigh was the other's only answer at first. But as he knelt down to put the blonde on his back to carry him home, he decided he at least owed him a response to THAT. "Yeah. She's okay."  
  
"Good." Cloud let out a sigh of relief, adjusting a little as Leon carefully moved him, arms draped loosely around his shoulders, head against his back, legs supported by the other's hands.   
  
"There." He started towards the ledge again, glancing back at the injured man out of the corner of his eye, once his arms went limp around him, signaling that he'd already passed out.  
  
He leaned forward a little, and kept going. It wouldn't be that much further to the castle, and Aerith could take care of him from there. Then he wouldn't have anything more to do with him.  
  
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Wow, I made Leon sound like a jerk this time round, didn't I? 0_o But still, he never seemed like the trusting type anyway.  
Whatever the case, I'm glad how this chapter turned out. I hope you did too. X_x And even if you didn't, review! I can take it!  
… no wait. No I can't! WAAAAAAAAH! (Cowers under her desk) 


	3. Authors Notes

Hi there! Aheh... okay, so admittedly this isn't EXACTLY a new chapter. That comes LATER... after I make about 500 revisions to it because it absolutely sucks. ._. I do promise a bit of fan service, of course, as I was getting a little annoyed with the lack of slashy goodness. Keep in mind, however, that the romance itself is going to have to come slowly for it to be believable (I mean, come on. This is Squall and Cloud we're talking about here). As much as I would love to skip all the angst and head right to the wild monkey sex, my pride as a writer won't let me do so.  
  
However, my pride as a writer also won't let me disappoint my readers, and myself, by letting this story peter off into nothingness without finishing what I started.  
  
That said, my pride as a writer won't allow me to disappoint my readers, and myself, by letting the quality of the story drop simply so I can finish it all on time. That's why I'm taking so long. I really appreciate you guys taking the time to read A Stray Child, and want to make it as good for you as I possibly can.  
  
So yes, there may be a longer wait before Chapter Three is added. The chapter itself is finished, I just need to finish tweaking it before I post. I've already had quite a few people beta read for me, and they've given me the clear, but I'm not posting until I'm completely satisfied with it. However, I promise that it won't be a long wait. After all, now whenever I listen to the song A Stray Child I suddenly start feeling guilty. ^^;  
  
There are a few other fics I'm going to start working on soon: An Orphen x Magic story, a Hartia x Lai story, and a short series of Saiyuki one-shots (Sanzo x Goku, Gojyo x Hakkai, Kougaiji* x Yaone). But for now, A Stray Child is my main priority. Besides, if I don't finish it soon, Rumi's gonna kill me. O_o  
  
Also, while a lemon scene won't be coming until one of the MUCH later chapters, I think I should go ahead and say this now. Most of you are aware of Fanfiction.net's ban on NC-17 fanfiction. This means that, as much as I want to post my lemon chapter here, I'll have to resort to other means of getting it across. So, if you want to read the lemon chapter when it's ready, put your e-mail address in your review. Or, if you don't want to write a review, you can e-mail me/IM me, at:  
  
ChouHakai@aol.com  
  
ShougoKawadaBR@aol.com  
  
* - Microsoft Works keeps changing Kougaiji to Kuwaiti. XD 


	4. Don't Be In Doubt And Stray

Title: A Stray Child  
  
Rating: R  
  
Pairings: Yuffie-Leon, AerithxCloud, eventually LeonxCloud  
  
A/N: Well, the story's turning out good so far. Only one flame so far, though I won't mention any names. That flame does, however, bring me to my next point.  
  
I warned you in the summary. DO NOT READ THIS STORY UNLESS YOU KNOW WHAT YAOI MEANS. I warned you then, I'm warning you again. This story WAS rated R for a reason. If you don't like that, I don't care what your reasons are. Just please, be on your way, before we both end up hurting each other.  
  
However, I do appreciate those who commented that actually HAD something constructive to say. There's no greater pleasure for a writer than for her story to be enjoyed by others.  
  
Now, on with the story.  
  
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The road home had been a little more difficult than Leon had thought it would be. He could safely say that he wouldn't have had a chance, had he not done the same thing for Yuffie fairly often as a child, thus making himself used to it. But, of course, there was quite a lot of difference in carrying a six year old girl as opposed to a twenty two year old man. And a rather muscular one at that. But despite such difficulty, he'd managed to jump the ledges without too much trouble.  
  
His immediate thought upon re-entering the Hollow Bastion was to find Aerith. Though generally noncombatant, she did have some knowledge of healing magic, making her the closest thing to a doctor they had.  
  
For now, however, he'd get Cloud to a bed. His wounds were severe, but he could probably be left alone for a few minutes. At least long enough to find Aerith. After all, he'd made it all this way and hadn't bled to death. He could wait a little longer. Besides, it would probably have taken less time than lugging his bleeding form all over the Hollow Bastion looking for her.  
  
His room being the closest, he started in that direction. He could hear Cloud groaning a bit in his sleep, voice muffled by Leon's back. "nn… knew I'd… find you…" and then nothing more.  
  
Leon raised an eyebrow questioningly. Just what was Cloud dreaming about anyway? He didn't think too much on the subject. "Hm. Probably Aerith." He thought aloud, leaving it at that.  
  
He opened the door to his room, stumbling a little as he walked inside, balance thrown off by the heavy load he carried on his back. Leon managed to make it over to the bed, carefully laying Cloud down on the soft mattress. He squirmed a little bit, instinctively trying to get used to the change in position. Within a few moments though, he finally went lax, and just slept.  
  
Leon sat next to him, pulling up his shirt once more, tossing it aside, unheeded. He undid the loose knot he'd tied in the cape (now a makeshift bandage), and pulled it back to check the wound again. He was relieved to see that the bleeding had stopped, but the wounds still had to be treated.  
  
But before he even had a chance to get up, his attention was drawn to loud, quick footsteps down the hall. Safe to say the blood trail Cloud had left behind had been discovered. The footsteps seemed to quicken as they grew near to the door. Leon heard the feet skid a little as they came to a halt, a hand turning the doorknob before it was flung open, a very startled Yuffie staggering in. "Leon, what happened in here?! There's blood all over the hallway and--"  
  
"Yuffie, go get Aerith."   
  
"H-Huh?" She asked, finally regaining her coherency. She looked on the bed next to him, and finally saw who's blood she had really seen. "Is that--"  
  
"Go!"  
  
Seeing the urgency of the situation, and that it probably wasn't the best time to be asking questions, she gave a quick nod, before taking off down the hall again. He returned his gaze once more to the blonde laying on the bed beside him. Well, at least he wouldn't be without help for too much longer. And now, he finally seemed to be waking up again.  
  
Another low groan slipped past cracked lips, and Cloud began squirming again. One hand clutched at the wound in his side, a knee-jerk reaction, followed by a weak yelp of pain.  
  
"Idiot!" Leon grasped the other's wrist, yanking it away. "Don't do that! You'll only make it worse--eh?" He grew silent as he heard Cloud mouthing something. "What is it?"  
  
"… darkness…" he murmured, body going limp against the mattress for a few precious seconds. "… my darkness."  
  
And before Leon even had a chance to decipher the meaning, Cloud threw his head back, letting out an agonizing scream. His body went from being still and relaxed to violently shaking. And Leon, deciding the nightmare had gone on long enough, grabbed Cloud by the shoulders, shaking him. "Cloud! Can you hear me?! Come on, wake up!" But he didn't. Rather, he only continued to sink deeper into his nightmare. His eyes were wide open now, but Leon could tell he wasn't really awake. He wasn't seeing the Leon at all. He was seeing something else, something purely unfathomable. He'd never seen so much emotion in one's eyes.  
  
Fear, hatred, anger, despair, horror, disgust, sadness, and pain. Pure, ungodly pain. All mixed into one suffocating, disgusting mass.  
  
Cloud's shivering turned to convulsing, and his arm jerked, hand unintentionally striking Leon away. His eyes rolled back in his head, and he let out yet another ear-piercing shriek.  
  
In a desperate attempt to calm him, Leon held him down, hands firmly grasping his wrists, straddling his waist. He didn't bother trying to say anything else to calm him. He was too far gone right now to hear anything. Cloud's body continued to jerk and convulse, to the point where Leon was convinced he'd be thrown off. Somehow he managed to keep his balance, however, and held the other as steady as he could.  
  
He could hear faint footsteps over Cloud's pained screams. They came to a halt abruptly near the bed, and Leon looked up into the almost disbelieving face of Aerith.  
  
"C-Cloud?!"  
  
"There'll be time for that later!" Leon yelled, jerking his head in Cloud's direction. "Can you do something about this? I can't hold him much longer!"  
  
She didn't respond. Aerith could only stare wide-eyed at the hysterical blonde as he bucked and screeched in a futile effort to fling off his 'attacker.' Leon, though growing quite agitated, had expected such a reaction, considering the last time she'd seen Cloud had been at the Coliseum. But this still wasn't the time.  
  
"Aerith! Hurry!"  
  
"R-right… !" She answered quickly, startled out of her trance. Reaching forward with a trembling hand, she lightly touched the blonde's forehead.   
  
"Calm." She said quietly, fingertips glistening with pale light. "To sleep."  
  
Cloud's struggling seemed to gain intensity, as he tried his best to fight the spell. But once he saw it was futile, he finally went limp, and into a peaceful, dreamless sleep.  
  
----------  
  
The hour that passed after that went quickly. Aerith had asked Leon and Yuffie to wait outside while she worked, giving the excuse that she needed the quiet so she could concentrate on healing the wounded swordsman.  
  
He was glad to see Yuffie was considerably less worried, once she knew for certain the blood splattered in the hallways wasn't his own. Now, however, she just seemed confused. That was understandable, so was he. And they'd spent most of the time trying to sort things out.  
  
"Where do you think he came from?"  
  
"Can't say for sure. When we saw him in the Hades Cup, he said he was going to stay behind to look for someone."  
  
"Who?"  
  
"He didn't say. Whatever the case, that was only… what, a week ago? I can't see him making it all the way from there to here in a week, especially without a gummi ship. And for that matter…" He leaned back against the wall, casting a look towards the door. "… just how DID he get here anyway?"  
  
"Well, I guess we'll just have to ask him when he wakes up, right?"  
  
"Whatever."*  
  
"Say Leon…" Yuffie began, sitting down on the floor beside Leon, back against the wall. "Who do you think did this to him?"  
  
"That's anyone's guess." Leon replied, shrugging. "If he came from the Coliseum, hell, anyone could've done it. But my guess is that it's that person he was 'looking for,' or…"  
  
"Or what?" Yuffie looked at him skeptically. "You really don't think that--" The look on Leon's face showed her that yes, in fact, he _was_ thinking 'that.' "Oh, come on, Leon! Hades couldn't have--"  
  
"And why not?" Leon asked. "When I asked Sora about Cloud at the preliminaries, he said that he and Hades had some kind of agreement. Not the sort of guy you'd just walk out of a deal with." But then, he glanced down at her, shaking his head. "Don't look at me like that. I'm just saying it's possible. Either way, if Hades really did this to him, Cloud probably wouldn't have survived. But if not him, than who--"  
  
He was cut off as the door creaked open, Aerith's fatigued face greeting them with a forced smile.  
  
"He's okay now."  
  
"Good." Leon replied, walking towards the door. "Can we expect anymore outbursts like that one?"  
  
"More than likely. The sleep spell I cast ceased the nightmare so he could rest more peacefully… but… well…" She began to wring her hands slightly, eyes downcast. "… it won't last too long. Only a few hours more. Then--"  
  
"Then you'll just have to cast it again, right?" Yuffie chimed, patting the girl's shoulder reassuringly. "Don't worry, he'll be okay."  
  
"Y-yes, well…" Aerith looked up at Leon. "We probably shouldn't move him until he wakes up. Do you mind if he stays in your room?"  
  
"Fine. " He answered. "It's no big deal. I can just sleep on the floor or something."  
  
"Right! And in the meantime…" Yuffie gave a little tug on Aerith's arm, jerking her head back to their own rooms down the hall. "It's getting late, and you look exhausted. Wanna get some rest?"  
  
"Yes, that would be good. Thank you, Yuffie." Aerith turned to thank Leon again, but Yuffie didn't give her the chance, dragging her away by the arm.  
  
"Goodnight, Leon!" She called back as she opened the door to her room. "Wake us up if Cloud gets all freaky again, okay? Thanks!" The door slammed shut. Leon raised an eyebrow, briefly wondering how Yuffie could be so optimistic in the face of… well, everything, but shrugged it off. He was too tired to think about it now.  
  
He walked back inside, tossing his coat, soaked in Cloud's blood from earlier, carelessly in a chair near the door. Since the bed was obviously out of the question, his eyes scanned the room for another place to lay down.  
  
Then he remembered the sofa. Well, had to be better than the floor, at any rate.  
  
Flopping down on the old couch, he rolled over on his side, head propped up against the arm rest. He looked out upon the shadowed figure laying in his bed now, at the steady rise and fall of his chest.  
  
He was relieved. While he seriously didn't trust Cloud, after finding out about his previous… affiliations, he didn't wish him dead either. For Aerith's sake, anyway. She would've been inconsolable if Cloud died, after all.  
  
Leon briefly wondered if she still felt the same way about him now, as she had when she was a child. The two had suffered extreme puppy love in the days before the Heartless, and it didn't seem like it had faded even now that they were fully grown.  
  
And then, deciding it was pointless to mull over such things so late at night, he went to sleep.  
  
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I really wasn't pleased with this chapter at first for some reason. X_x But after all the work I did revising it (Which explains the late update), I think it's somewhat post worthy now. I promise, it'll get better.  
  
Thought I owed a bit of fan service to yaoi fans that had to sit through nothing but het for two chapters. ^_^ I think the image of Leon straddling a bloody, screaming, shirtless Cloud was good enough.  
  
Again, I want to thank those of you who reviewed my story. It really means a lot to a writer to be able to connect to people through is or her work, whether you like A Stray Child or don't.  
  
* DO YOU KNOW HOW LONG I'VE BEEN WAITING TO SAY THAT??! XD 


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